#6: Ugly incidents (1893)

January 5, 1893, students returning from Week of Prayer
evening meetings in the city church found a placard posted
on the College Gate, calling on the Turks to rise and apply
the same medicine for the ills of the country that the people
of India had employed. That meant to invite the British to
assume control of Turkey and was clearly revolutionary and
incendiary, though rather mildly put. But the Turks were
furious, and charged that these placards, widely posted in
Marsovan and the region, emanated from the College. They
were printed on a cyclostyle, an instrument rarely found
in Turkey. Dr. Herrick and the administration emphatically
denied the charge of college complicity and certainly the
administration was free from any knowledge of the affair.
But two Armenian teachers were arrested, Professor Thoumayan
and Mr. Kayayan, and sent to Angora for trial, along with
scores of other alleged revolutionists. It was a dark time,
trying to our souls. We Americans were strong in the
consciousness of freedom from any share in revolution.
We were in honor bound to our American government and to
the government of Turkey in whose country we were guests.
Many persons were imprisoned and there were sad echoes of
beatings and torture, of threats and bribes, of alleged
revolution and cruel oppression, deceit and violence.
College students were in a panic; we Americans, well-nigh
helpless. Ultimately our two teachers were released owing
to British government pressure but were exiled from the
country. Imagine it all!

About midnight February 1, 1893, we were awakened by the
cry of fire, and jumped out of bed to find that our new
Girls' School was in flames. The building was in process
of construction. The frame timbers were completely in
place, and so were the workmen's ladders and scaffolding
within. Incendiaries had evidently carried tins of kerosene
to the top of the building and along the foot walks under
the ridgepole to the eaves, pouring kerosene all the way
and carrying the stream down the central ladders and then
dropped a lighted match and ran. In an instant in the quiet
winter night the whole building was on fire from ground to
roof, from end to end. Officials were on the ground so
quickly as to rouse suspicion. But they immediately charged
that the incendiaries were Armenian revolutionists whose
aim was to foment trouble in the country. We had no reason
to suspect any Armenian, but investigations were conducted
by the American Consul from Sivas, and then by an
international commission of Turks and Americans from
Constantinople and ultimately the Turkish government
accepted the responsibility for failure to protect our
premises and paid us an indemnity of Ltq. 500, $2,200,
estimated to cover the amount of our pecuniary loss.
We revised our plans and rebuilt the School.